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State Bar of Georgia Lawyers Serving the Public and the Justice System
Committees, Programs & Sections
- Access to Justice
- This standing committee shall consider and make recommendations to the Board of Governors on: (1) promoting the growth of pro bono service to the poor by members of the State Bar; (2) operation of the Bar's efforts to facilitate the participation of Georgia's lawyers in the delivery of pro bono services through the Pro Bono Project; and (3) how best to give appropriate recognition to Georgia lawyers whose pro bono efforts inspire the members of the legal profession. It shall also promote the establishment and efficient maintenance of legal aid organizations equipped to provide free legal services to those unable to pay for such service. It shall study the administration of justice as it affects persons in low income groups, and shall study and report on methods of making legal service more readily available to persons of moderate means, and shall encourage and assist local Bar associations in accomplishing this purpose.
View Committee Members - Audit
- This special committee will assist the Treasurer, Executive Committee and Board of Governors in fulfilling their oversight responsibilities for the accounting, financial, and internal control process of the Bar's audits of its financial statements. It shall recommend annually to the Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer either the retention of the current audit firm or three qualified firms as replacements of the current audit firm. The Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer shall recommend to the Board of Governors either the retention of the current audit firm or one replacement firm from the Audit Committee's list.
View Committee Members - B.A.S.I.C.S.
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operations of the BASICS program.
View Committee Members - Bar Center
- This standing committee will continue to monitor the Bar's needs and uses of its headquarters in Atlanta.
View Committee Members - Bench and Bar
- This standing committee shall 1) oversee the Judicial District Professionalism Program, and 2) identify and facilitate solutions to issues of mutual interest between State judges and Georgia lawyers for the benefit of the bench, bar and the public.
View Committee Members - Business Court
- This special committee shall monitor the performance of the Business Court pilot project, perform a liaison function between the Court, the Bar, and Georgia's business community, and report to the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors on its advice and recommendations.
View Committee Members - Children and the Courts
- This standing committee shall consider the interests of children in the judicial system and proposals for reform of the law governing juveniles, and provide advice and expertise to the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors.
View Committee Members - Clients' Security Fund Board of Trustees
- This program committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operations of the Clients' Security Fund. It shall decide claims for compensation in accordance with the Fund's rules and policies.
View Committee Members - Communications/Cornerstones of Freedom
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the State Bar's program of communications with its members and the public. It shall strive to improve public understanding of American constitutional values, the necessity of fair and impartial courts, and the rule of law through ongoing implementation of the Cornerstones of Freedom Program.
View Committee Members - Consumer Assistance Program
- This program committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operations of the Consumer Assistance Program.
View Committee Members - Continuing Lawyer Competency, Commission on
- It is of utmost importance to members of the Bar and to the public that attorneys maintain their professional competence throughout their active practice of law. To that end, this commission establishes the minimum requirements for continuing legal education.
View Committee Members - Continuity of Law Practice
- This special committee will (1) develop a planning guide for lawyers to provide for continuity of protection of client interests in the event of the lawyer's death or disability; (2) develop a registry of qualified law practice receivers; and (3) consider rules changes regarding reporting of practice continuity plans, emeritus membership status, and change of membership status to protect clients in the event of mental or physical incapacity to continue in practice.
View Committee Members - Criminal Justice Reform
- This special committee will assist the 2011 Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians and the Special Joint Committee on Georgia Criminal Justice Reform in studying ways to enhance public safety and fiscal stewardship through consideration of reforms in the criminal justice system.
View Committee Members - Disciplinary Rules and Procedures
- This standing committee shall advise the Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to all procedural and substantive disciplinary rules, policies, and procedures.
View Committee Members - Elections
- This standing committee shall prepare, supervise and conduct the elections of all officers and members of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia and conduct all Bar polls.
View Committee Members - Electronically Stored Information Task Force, Discovery of
- This joint Task Force of the State Bar of Georgia and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce will work towards developing a proposed uniform court rule to govern e-discovery in superior and state courts in Georgia.
View Committee Members - Fair Market Practices
- This special committee will seek to protect consumers of legal services from false and misleading lawyer advertising and solicitation, develop recommendations for enhancement of rules, promote professionalism in the marketing of legal services, and improve enforcement of existing rules.
View Committee Members - Fee Arbitration
- This program committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operations of the Fee Arbitration Program.
View Committee Members - Finance
- This standing committee, which shall include the State Bar Treasurer, State Bar President-elect, and YLD President-elect as ex-officio members, shall be appointed and organized by the President-elect within the six (6) months immediately preceding the Annual Meeting of the State Bar so as to facilitate the preparation of a budget of estimated receipts and disbursements for the approaching fiscal year, which said budget with appropriate recommendations the committee shall cause to be submitted to the meeting of the Board of Governors held either during or immediately after the Annual Meeting for appropriate consideration and approval. The committee also shall be responsible for monitoring the finances of the State Bar throughout each Bar year to ensure that all State Bar funds are being received, held and disbursed in accordance with the provisions of the budget approved by the Board of Governors. In the event this committee feels that developments during any Bar year dictate, it shall have the duty and responsibility for initiating consideration of proposed budget amendments to the Executive Committee, and in turn to the Board of Governors for action.
View Committee Members - Formal Advisory Opinion Board
- This board is authorized to draft Formal Advisory Opinions concerning a proper interpretation of the Rules of Professional Conduct or any of the grounds for disciplinary action as applied to a given state of facts, as set forth in Bar Rule 4-403.
View Committee Members - General Counsel Office Overview Committee
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operations of the Office of General Counsel.
View Committee Members - Georgia Bar Journal Editorial Board
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the scholarship of legal articles in the Georgia Bar Journal.
View Committee Members - Georgia Diversity Program
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operation of the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program.
View Committee Members - Inclusion in the Profession, Committee to Promote
- This standing committee shall facilitate, analyze, and present for consideration initiatives and programs which increases participation, retention, and representation of diverse attorneys in the legal profession in Georgia that accurately reflects the makeup of our State. In this effort, the Committee will work towards inclusion of lawyers who have been historically underrepresented. It shall advise the Executive Committee and Board of Governors with regard to those interests.
View Committee Members - Indigent Defense
- This special committee monitors the progress and funding for Georgia's Public Defender Standards Council and works in conjunction with the Advisory Committee on Legislation, the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors to provide advice, expertise and advocacy on behalf of systemic reform designed to satisfy the State's constitutional obligation to provide adequate counsel for indigent persons accused of crime.
View Committee Members - International Trade in Legal Services
- This special committee shall monitor the impact of international developments on the legal profession, including, but not be limited to the effect of, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), other free trade agreements having an impact on delivery of legal services, changes in the regulation of the legal profession in foreign countries that may have local impact, and all other events affecting the delivery of legal services across international borders. It shall consider these matters from both the perspective of outbound legal services delivered in foreign countries by member lawyers and inbound delivery of legal services in this State by foreign lawyers. The committee shall also consider any international issues as requested by, and make reports and recommendations concerning its activities to, the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors.
View Committee Members - Judicial Procedure and Administration/Uniform Rules
- This standing committee shall observe the practical working of the judicial system of this state in all courts and recommend such changes to the law or uniform rules as observation or experience of the committee may suggest. It shall receive and review all proposed legislation affecting the courts of this state and report findings and recommendations on any such legislation to the Advisory Committee on Legislation and the Executive Committee. It shall also consider and make recommendations on all proposed uniform or other court rules. The committee will also confer and advise with the American Law Institute in its work and promote its programs as may be of interest and benefit to the State Bar.
View Committee Members - Law Practice Management Program
- This program committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operation of the Law Practice Management Program.
View Committee Members - Law School Outreach
- This special committee will inform law students at Georgia's five law schools what the State Bar of Georgia does for the legal profession, how it can help them embark on their professional careers, and the wealth of resources and opportunities available to them as soon-to-be State Bar members.
View Committee Members - Law-Related Education
- This standing committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the procedures and operations of the Law-Related Education program.
View Committee Members - Lawyer Assistance Program
- This program committee shall monitor and render advice to the staff, Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to the rules, procedures, policies and operation of the Lawyer Assistance Program.
View Committee Members - Legislation, Advisory Committee on
- This standing committee shall prepare for legislative action such matters requiring legislation as may have received the approval of the Board of Governors. It shall keep itself informed as to all proposed legislation affecting members of the Bar and the practice of law.
View Committee Members - Legislative Representation
- This standing committee shall recommend the State Bar's legislative representation for approval by the Executive Committee. It shall monitor and advise regarding selection, compensation, and performance of each representative. The committee's membership shall be the four members of the Advisory Committee on Legislation who are authorized under Standing Board Policy 100, Legislative Policy and Procedure, Section 1.03(c) to act upon pending or proposed legislation in an emergency situation, plus the current YLD President and YLD President-elect, and the three most recent past presidents of the State Bar.
View Committee Members - Litigation Funding, Special Committee on
- This special committee will study and advise the Executive Committee and Board of Governors on issues regarding third-party litigation funding.
View Committee Members - Local and Voluntary Bars
- This standing committee shall have the duty of promoting the organization and maintenance of local and circuit bar associations throughout the State and creating a closer affiliation between such associations and the State Bar.
View Committee Members - Long Range Planning & Bar Governance
- This standing committee shall identify issues and trends affecting the practice of law and the operation of the State Bar of Georgia. It shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors to ensure the well-being and efficiency of the State Bar of Georgia.
View Committee Members - Main Street Lawyers
- This special committee will develop a seminar and group mentoring program to assist lawyers who seek to build a law practice and a life in a small town environment.
View Committee Members - Member Benefits
- This standing committee focuses on the State Bar's mission of Lawyers Serving the Public and the Justice System.It identifies opportunities for serving lawyers, implements legal support services, including but not limited to, lists of vendors who offer services and products of interest to lawyers, and communicates to members the existence and benefits of State Bar services that offer value to them and their law practice.
View Committee Members - Memorials/Resolutions
- This standing committee shall receive, study, and present for consideration by the membership at any Annual, Midyear, or special meeting each resolution proposed by an individual member of the Bar in accordance with the rules. This committee shall also concern itself with the collection and maintenance of adequate records of deceased members of the State Bar, and at the direction of the Board of Governors report thereon at any annual or special meeting of the State Bar.
View Committee Members - Military Legal Assistance Program
- This special committee shall monitor and render advice to the program's director, Executive Committee, and Board of Governors with respect to the operation of the Military Legal Assistance Program, which facilitates pro bono representation of veterans and service members in addressing their unmet legal needs.
View Committee Members - Next Generation Courts Commission
- This commission will consider what the court system should look like in 20 years and develop a strategy for how to get from here to there, including but not limited to, court structure, technology, funding, caseload management, and judicial selection.
View Committee Members - Non-Traditional Legal Careers
- This special committee will work to maintain professional identity and engagement of lawyers who work in settings other than traditional law practice.
View Committee Members - Pension Plan, Committee on the Bar Employees
- This special committee is charged with the discretion, responsibility and authority to oversee the management of State Bar's employee defined benefits pension plan.
View Committee Members - Personnel
- This standing committee shall advise the Executive Committee and Board of Governors with respect to staffing, salaries, and other personnel matters.
View Committee Members - Post-Conviction Capital Representation
- This special committee deals with matters relating to the post conviction of defendants in capital cases and reports any recommendations to the Board of Governors.
View Committee Members - Professionalism
- This standing committee shall consider and make recommendations to the Executive Committee and Board of Governors necessary to advance professionalism in the practice of law. It shall concern itself with the various facets of professionalism including knowledge, technical skill, integrity in relations with both clients and courts, dedication to the law and public good, and ultimately the providing of competent legal services to the public.
View Committee Members - Programs
- This standing committee shall advise the Executive Committee with respect to the addition, deletion, change, and operation of all State Bar programs and services. It shall solicit and review staff and budget impact statements whenever any proposal is made for the addition, deletion, or change of any State Bar program or service.
View Committee Members - SOLACE
- Through this special committee (an acronym for Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel - All Concern Encouraged) members of the legal community will be able to reach out in small, but meaningful and compassionate ways to judges, lawyers, court personnel, and law office staff that have a medical crisis in their family. Types of assistance range anywhere from a need for a place for a family to stay near a distant hospital during cancer treatment or a transplant, or help in getting an appointment with a medical specialist with a long waiting list.
View Committee Members - State Disciplinary Board-Investigative Panel
- This is one of two panels that consist of the State Disciplinary Board, which has the power to investigate and discipline members of the State Bar of Georgia for violations of the Standards of Conduct set forth in Bar Rule 4-102.
View Committee Members - State Disciplinary Board-Review Panel
- This is one of two panels that consist of the State Disciplinary Board, which has the power to investigate and discipline members of the State Bar of Georgia for violations of the Standards of Conduct set forth in Bar Rule 4-102.
View Committee Members - Statewide Judicial Evaluation
- This standing committee shall advise the President with regard to the qualifications of all candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the Georgia courts. The purpose is to assist the Judicial Nominating Commission.
View Committee Members - Suicide Prevention and Awareness Committee
- This special committee will develop new means through which to provide Bar members, their families and colleagues with suicide prevention resources and information, including understanding the warning signs, myths and realities, and attorney specific risks.
View Committee Members - Technology Advisory
- This special committee will advise Bar staff and the Executive Committee on cost-effective uses of technology by the State Bar.
View Committee Members - UPL District 1 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 10 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 2 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 3 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 4 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 5 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 6 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 7 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 8 Committee
View Committee Members- UPL District 9 Committee
View Committee Members- Unlicensed Practice of Law
- This program committee shall investigate and diligently inquire into the unauthorized practice of law by law agencies and other unauthorized persons specifically including any person not an active member in good standing of the State Bar, and the participation of lawyers therein, and proper methods for the prevention thereof.
View Committee Members
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